Heading Mauka
by ubicaritas
Summary: 'A change is as good as a rest', or so they say. Danny Williams is in need of both, but settles for a day in the jungle.


**Heading **_**Mauka**_

He stumbled upon the pond almost by accident.

Hiking through the jungle, following the not-quite-a-path as it meandered through the trees, Danny slowed to push a dangling branch out of the way. A glint of sunlight reflecting off a shiny surface caught his eye; a few steps off the trail led him to the edge of a treeline sheltering a small, round pool of water. The surface was calm, but not quite still. The combination of the gentle puff of the wind, and the actual directional movement of the little ripples, made him think the pond must be spring fed, likely from its far side somewhere. It looked deep, too; he couldn't see the bottom, even right at the water's edge.

He leaned down and scooped a handful of the cool, clear water, pausing only to give it a quick (and passing grade) sniff test before splashing his overheated face. He closed his eyes, savouring the sensation of the sudden shock, then repeated the action to include his neck and bare arms. A long, contented sigh escaped as he slipped the backpack off his shoulders and settled himself onto a broad, flat rock at the pond's edge, this time dipping his quickly-bared feet into the refreshing water.

Of course, he wasn't content for long, with just his toes in the water. Feet and ankles were next, their immersion in the cool water sending a ripple of goosebumps up his skin, to the point where he actually felt his curls stand a little taller to attention. The circular disturbance where his feet met the water spread out across the pond, growing wider and shallower as its energy dispersed.

He reached down again and swept another handful of water against his cheeks, throwing his head back and laughing at the sensation of the cool rivulets trailing their way down his neck. Without further thought, he surged to his feet, pulling off his t-shirt and dropping it on the rock beside his pack. The cargo shorts and boxers quickly followed, landing in a jumble beside his socks and hiking boots. His watch, he left on; waterproof, of course, as befitted a man who still counted catching some rollers among his regular off-duty activities.

And then he was in, knifing through the cool, clear water, launched from the rock in an explosive racing dive honed long ago in his youthful days as a competitive swimmer. He broke the surface with a whoop of delight and a toss of his dripping hair… at the chill of the water, at the slightly illicit thrill of skinny-dipping in broad daylight in the middle of the jungle… but mostly at the joy of freedom. No work, no responsibilities, no expectations.

_12 hours earlier_

He sat back in his chair with a hiss of breath that was part relief, part satisfaction, but in reality, mostly exhaustion. Jacket and tie long abandoned, shoulder holster tossed carelessly on the corner of the desk, and shirt sleeves unbuttoned and haphazardly rolled up, he hardly presented the cool and professional image that Steve McGarrett demanded of his detectives. But then again, at quarter past one in the morning there were no members of the public, or even junior staffers, waiting outside his office cubicle to be scandalized by his appearance.

The big man himself was long gone, of course. He'd left the office in the early evening, his presence requested by the governor at an official state function, and when the governor said to jump, they would all ask how high before heading off to do his bidding. Steve didn't enjoy the political dog-and-pony shows, Danny knew. Having attended a number of them himself, sometimes accompanying his boss, at others standing in for him, Danny had seen firsthand the manoeuvering and posturing of the politicians and the talking class as they gathered. To be fair, he'd also met some very interesting visitors to his home state, dignitaries, performers, even an internationally bestselling author, whose novels graced the bookshelves in his apartment. It was all part and parcel of being the second-in-command of Five-O, and he accepted this duty along with his other responsibilities.

But Christ, he was tired.

The late hour accounted for some of that, of course, but this was a fatigue that went deeper than pulling a single long shift at work could account for. Even supercops had to stop on occasion, to recharge their energy, their focus, and it had been too long since one Danny Williams had taken more than a couple of days off in a row. Tonight, he was feeling that lack of down time more acutely than he had at any other time in his police career.

He thrived off the challenge of solving the puzzles, capturing the high-level criminals that were Five-O's mandate… even taking charge of the Governor's security detail, as he was doing more of in recent months, was a task he embraced and enjoyed doing to the best of his ability. He was also enough of a natural leader to know and recognize those skills in himself, and was as committed to bringing out the best in the junior officers assigned to Five-O now as Steve McGarrett had once been to his young, eager self.

However … reluctant as he was to acknowledge it, the clock didn't lie: he was no longer that young Five-O rookie. He hoped he had many years of service still ahead of him, but there were a lot behind him as well. With the experience came a greater maturity, and the awareness that as difficult as it was, he would have to take more time away from the job in order to maintain his skills and efficiency in peak condition.

He'd watched Steve do it; his boss and mentor had gradually withdrawn from much of the front-line activity, leaving the footwork to his staff of detectives while he directed the investigation from above. He was still fully involved, of course, but not out on the streets as often. Steve had also begun to take more regular vacation time, once his annual reserve deployments had ended with his retirement from the Navy.

It was time, Danny decided, that he did the same thing.

He couldn't, of course, disappear from the office for a week at such short notice; there were ongoing investigations, security meetings, even a court appearance with his name on it in the following week. But he did have the next two days scheduled off, and for the first time in a long while he decided to make himself completely work-free – no check-in phone calls, no files taken home to read and analyze, nothing to tie him to work in any way.

He took a moment to tidy his desk, leaving a neat stack of folders ready for Jenny to file and another for Steve to look at, knowing for certain the boss be in to do some work on the weekend. He snapped off the work lamp which had been his companion for the long evening, and neatly tucked his chair up to the desk. Then, grabbing his suit coat, he left the darkened Five-O offices behind and walked down first the elegant koa staircase, then the wide stone steps at the front of the Palace. A minute later he was driving away, off duty and headed for home.

o O o

Despite the late night, Danny was up early; it had never been his habit to sleep late, even when he had no specific plans for the morning. And with two full days off, he didn't plan to waste any time to the unproductiveness of sleep. A quick tour of his apartment netted him a large glass of juice and some toast for breakfast, some shirts and a couple of suits (along with a bundle of socks and unmentionables) to drop off at his local cleaners, and a small knapsack packed with his hiking boots, socks, a map and compass, and a canteen of cool water. With the clock not yet showing 9 am, he headed down to the building's parking garage, where his own personal vehicle waited, fueled and ready (as he always left it – a carryover from work) for the day's activities.

Errands complete, Danny pointed his car out of the city, heading _'mauka'_, towards the mountains, by the fastest route he knew. He'd hiked in several places that weren't too distant, and knew a number of trails that would provide a good few hours' worth of exercise, fresh air, and spectacular views. There were also a couple of lesser-travelled areas marked on his mental map, where smaller footpaths and untouched terrain prevailed over a more formal trail system. All that was left was for him to choose where to go.

In the end, it wasn't a difficult decision to make; it was not his practice to look for the softer option when faced with such a choice, and this day was no exception. Ninety minutes in the car following a series of increasingly winding roads put him at his destination, and he was gratified to see only a few cars in the small lot. Danny locked his vehicle, settled his pack comfortably over his shoulders, and headed into the trees, his eyes and feet both finding the not-quite-a-path that led him into the thicker jungle. And somewhere between his initial few deep breaths and the stretch of muscles on the first gentle incline, the tension in his shoulders eased just a bit. No work, no responsibilities, no expectations.

**Pau **


End file.
